Rotary engine.



No. 679,229. Patented July 23, l90l.

l. 'HERMANSUN.

ROTARY ENGINE.

I (Application filed Mar. 11, 1901.)

. 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

INVENTOR War Harmawson RRIS PETERS ca. PHQTO-LITVIQ, wunmcwn, ll c.

I. HERHANSON.

ROTARY ENGINE.

No. 679,229. Patented Iuly 23, I190l.

(A H ti 51 d mar. 11, 1901.) (No nodal.) z Sheets-Sheet 2.

3 g 2 I a Nliiilllllllll 6 mmm INVENTOR. War Hermans'on ATTORNEY.

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IVAR HERMANSON, or DENVER, COLORADO.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 679,229, dated July 23, 1901.

Application filed March 11, 1991. Serial No. 50,743. (No model.) I

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVAR HERMANSON, a native of Sweden, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines or Motors; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary engines or motors; and it consists of the features, arrangements, and combinations hereinafter described and claimed, all of which will be fully understood by refer ence to the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a section taken through my improved engine circumferentially. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the engine. Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line y y, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section taken through the throttle and reversing-valve. Fig. 5 is a top view of'the valve, the casing being shown in crosssection. Fig. 6 is a top view showing the inlet and exhaust ports of the casing. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section taken through the casing and rotary member or piston, the parts being shown on a larger scale. Fig. 8 is a detail view of one of the packing-rings carried by the rotary piston. Fig. 9 is a sectional detail taken through the throttle-valve.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate the casing of the engine, which is secured by bolts 6 to a suitable stationary support 7. This casing is composed of a body part 5 and a head 5, secured to the body part by bolts 8, the parts being provided with flanges for the purpose. Through this casing or frame is passed a shaft 9, journaled therein. To this shaft is made fast a rotary member 10, which will be termed a piston. The periphery of this piston is U -shaped in section, (see Fig. 3,) and the easing is of counterpart shape. The extremities of the arms 10 of the U -shaped part are each provided with two spring metal packing- .from the chamber.

rings 12, located side by side in a groove formed for the purpose. Each of these rings is provided with a projection 12, (see Fig. 8,) which engages a corresponding recess formed in the piston to prevent the rings from moving independently of the piston. In order to give the desired resiliency or spring capacity, each ring is divided, as shown at 12, and each pair of adjacent rings is so arranged that the openings 12 are diametrically located, whereby the opening of each ring is opposite a solid part of the other ring and the two openings are as far removed from each other as possible. The function of these rings is'to form steam-tight joints between the rotary piston and the casing.

The piston 5 is provided with two wings or blades 13 and 13, diametrically located and pressed outwardly by a spring 15 into and across the circular chamber 14, between the outer periphery of the piston and the inner periphery of the casing. The casing is provided with two ports A and B, communicating with the chamber 14. and serving for the inlet of steam or other fluid to the chamber, as well as the exhaust of the steam or fluid The portA will be termed the inlet-port and the portB the exhaustport, though these ports may be alternately employed for inlet and exhaust purposes. These ports are formed in a boss or projection 5 of the casing. In a partition dividing or separating these ports is formed a space 0, adapted to receive a movable part or abutment 16, which normally projects into the chamber 14 and separates the live-steam space from the exhaust-steam space in said chamber. The abutment 16 is Opened or raised into the space 0 to allow the wings 13 and 13" to pass as they move around in the chamber by means of mechanism which will now be described.

To the shaft 9 outside of the casing is made fast a collar 17, upon which are formed projections or cams 17, arranged to operate a lever 18, fulcrumed on the casing at 19, passing around under the shaft and thence upwardly, its upper extremity being connected with a rod 20, which is slotted for the purpose. This rod is in turn attached to the abutment 16 in any suitable manner. There are two cams 17 diametrically located. As

to the wings 13 and 13 that a cam is always a little ahead of its corresponding wing of the piston, so that the abutment 16 will be opened just in time to allow the wing to pass.

Above or outside of the portsA and B and adjacent thereto is located a throttle and reversing valve 21. This valve is provided with a curved slot 21 for the inlet of steam and a curved channel 21, through which the exhaust steam or other fluid passes. shown in the drawings, (see Fig. 1,) the slot 21 is in communication with the ports A,and the channel 21 isin communication with the port B. The channel 21 hasan outlet to the atmosphere by way of a passage D, formed in the lever-arm 22. The ports A and B are shown in Fig. 6, and their position is indicated in Fig. 5. If the valve 21 is turned in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 5 to bring the extremities of the slot 21 and the channel 21 to the respective positions shown at E and H in Fig. 5, the steam or other fluid will be cut off from the engine. Now if the valve be turned farther in the same direction that is to say,until the extremity of the channel 21 communicates with the port A and the extremity of the slot 21 with the port Bthe steam or other fluid employed will enter the chamber 14 by way of a port 13 and will exhaust by way of the port A. In this case the engine will be reversed, and the piston or rotary member 10 will move in the opposite direction from its movement when the valve is in the position shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 5. The fluid-supply pipe 23, as shown in the drawings, is secured to the outer extremity of the projection 5 above theva-lve 21. Assuming that the ports are in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the the steam, air, or other fluid enters the port A to the chamber 14: and, acting on the wing 13, drives the piston 10 around in the direction indicated by the arrow, while the fluid in front or on the side of the wing 13 toward the exhaust-port B exhausts by Way of the latter port, while the fluid between the two wings .is dead or has neither a driving nor retarding force. Just before the wing 13 reaches the abutment 16 one of the cams 17 engages the lever 18 and raises the abutment 16 through the instrumentality of the rod 20, as heretofore explained. As soon as the wing 13 passes the abutment 16 the latter is returned to its normal position by a spring 24:, which position it occupies until it is again actuated to allow the wing or blade 13 to pass. This operation is continued as long as desired and is substantially duplicated at each rotation of the piston. If it is desired to stop or reverse the engine, the valve 21 is operated, as heretofore explained.

The piston is provided with an oil-cup 25, whose chamber communicates with ducts or passages formed in the wing 13*, whereby the bearing-surfaces of the piston and easing are lubricated as the piston revolves. (See Fig. 3.)

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- In a rotary engine or motor, the combination with a casing and a shaft journaled therein, of a rotary piston fast on the shaft and provided with wings or blades, the periphery of the piston and the adjacent part of the casing being shaped to form an annular fluidchamber, the blades or wings of the piston projecting into and across said chamber, the

casing having inlet and exhaust ports communicating with the chamber, and provided with a partition separating said ports, said partition having a recess, an abutment normally occupying a position across the annular chamber and in a plane between the said ports, a lever fulcrumed on the casing, a rod connected with said lever at one extremity and with the said abutment at the opposite extremity, and a cam fast on the shaft and adapted to actuate said lever whereby the valve is operated and made to enter the recess of the partition between the ports.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

IVAR HERMANSON.

Witnesses:

DORA C. Srncx, A. J. OBRIEN. 

